AN-94

AN-94 - 5.45x39mm

AN-94 - 5.45x39mm

AN-94 with a GP-34 grenade launcher - 5.45x39mm

AN-94 prototype known as LI-291, with newer RPK-style stock - 5.45x39mm. This solved the issue of the older stock rendering the weapon impossible for a right-handed shooter to fire when it was folded, since it covered the trigger.

The AN-94 (Avtomat Nikonova, lit "automatic device of Nikonov") is a Russian assault rifle designed over a period from 1980-1994 by Gennadiy Nikonov, a designer at Izhmash who had previously created a rather bizarre double-barreled light machine gun in the 70s. It is sometimes referred to as the "Abakan," though this is actually the name of the rifle trial program that led to its creation (and the creation of the AEK-971), effectively the Soviet counterpart to the American ACR program.

The intent was for the AN-94 to be a high-tech replacement for almost all AK-74 rifles in service, but the sheer expense of the complex design (by some accounts costing six times more per rifle than the AK-74) along with its difficult maintenance prevented widespread adoption. While the rifle was adopted on a limited basis by the Army and various civil services in 1995, production was discontinued in 2006.

Based on similar principles to the Heckler & Koch G11, all of the internals of the AN-94 are a distinct group (though unlike the G11 this does not include the magazine) which moves inside the weapon's body as it fires: effectively, it has a second internal receiver. Also like the G11, the AN-94 features a superfast burst fire mode, during which multiple rounds are loaded and fired during a single motion of the overall firing mechanism, firing all of them before recoil is transferred to the shooter; this is a two-round burst in the AN-94, rather than the G11's three, and is slightly slower, 1,800rpm rather than 2,100rpm. Because the magazine does not recoil with the rest of the internal receiver group as in the G11, the AN-94 uses a rather bizarre mechanism involving a pulley inside the handguard which links the internal receiver assembly to the cartridge shuttle with a cable. As the internal receiver moves backwards, it causes the shuttle to strip a round from the magazine and places it onto a lifter immediately in front, so the action can pick it up as it passes. Unlike the G11 where full-auto mode disables the burst mechanism entirely, the AN-94 begins firing on full-auto with a two-round burst, then sustains fire at one shot per cycle at 600rpm. This mechanism requires the magazine be canted several degrees to the right, since the pulley mechanism is on the left.

Specifications

(1994 - 2006)

• Type: Assault Rifle

• Caliber: 5.45x39mm

• Weight: 8.49 lbs (3.85kg)

• Length: 37.1 in (94.3 cm) (Stock Extended), 28.7 in (72.8 cm) (Stock Folded)

• Barrel length: 15.9 in (40.5 cm)

• Capacity: 30, 45, 60 round magazines

• Fire Modes: Semi-Auto / 2-Round-Burst (1,800rpm) / Full-Auto (2 rounds at 1,800rpm and then 600rpm sustained)

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The AN-94 and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:

Video Games

Game Title	Appears as	Mods	Notation	Release Date
Ghost Recon: Desert Siege	AN94	With GP-25 grenade launcher		2001
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty			Unusable by the player	2001
Rainbow Six: Lockdown				2005
Alliance of Valiant Arms	AN94			2007
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl	Obokan	With optional PSO-1 scope and special "Storming" variant with GP-25		2007
Cross Fire				2007
7.62 High Calibre			With various attachments	2008
Battlefield: Bad Company		With GP-30 grenade launcher		2008
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots		With GP-30 grenade launcher		2008
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky	AC-96/2	With PSO-1 scope, GP-25 grenade launcher, and/or suppressor		2008
Operation 7				2009
Combat Arms		With a variety of accessories		2010
SOCOM: US Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 3	AG-94	with variety of accessories		2010
Battlefield: Bad Company 2		With GP-30 grenade launcher and assorted optics		2010
Counter-Strike Online	AN94			2010
Battlefield Play4Free	AN-94 Abakan			2011
Battlefield 3		With a variety of accessories		2011
War Inc. Battlezone	AN 94	with various attachments		2011
Ghost Recon: Future Soldier				2012
Ghost Recon Online				2012
Arctic Combat				2012
Call of Duty: Black Ops II		With rail system and custom iron sights		2012
Ravaged				2012
Battlefield 4		With a variety of accessories		2013
Warface	AN-94	w/recoil pad, custom pistol grip, and tactical grip	incorrectly 7.62x39; added in 2020	2013
Contract Wars				2014
World of Guns: Gun Disassembly	AN-94	6X4 bayonet, GP-25 grenade launcher, Cobra sight, PSO scope		2014
Call of Duty: Black Ops III	"KVK 99m"	With a variety of accessories	update on 11 July 2017	2015
Ironsight	AN-94		2-round burst mode only	2018
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4	AN-94	With a variety of accessories	Operation Dark Divide update	2018
Call to Arms				2018
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	AN-94	With a variety of accessories	Added in Season 5	2019
Cruelty Squad	"BN-99"			2021
Battlefield 2042				2021

Anime

Title	Character	Note	Date
Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom	Zahlen Schwestern (Fünf & Neun)		2009
Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom	Zwei		2009

See Also

• Izhevsk Machinebuilding Plant - A list of all firearms manufactured by Izhmash.